Barry glanced at Kajou, the Amazoness sat at the edge of the court. Her eyes stared into the distance as she seemed to be lost in thought. Her black hair swung with the light breeze, her face a serene mask that hid the turmoil underneath.

She’d been more responsive and willing to lend a hand with things, but Barry could see the redness around her eyes. The young woman kept looking down at the blade that sat on her lap, the blade that belonged to Pan.

“What do you think, Orion?” He asked his shadow, the Hound that hid there didn’t answer, only her head popping out to look up at him. “Yeah… nevermind.” He crouched and patted the bed of messy hair, giving her a bit of bread she greedily gobbled up.

Orion glanced at him for another moment and sank back into the darkness.

Barry hadn’t managed to get her to socialize much with others, but if she was happy like this then maybe that was alright.

“Let her be, Barry, you should be worrying over other things.” Lala gripped his elbow and nudged him to follow. The dark-skinned maiden grinned at him and squeezed a little tighter.

He could only smile bashfully as Lala walked next to him standing as proud as she could, exposing her bare neck and raising her chin whenever someone looked their way. Barry could spot several of the guards he’d bonded going about also sans a collar, they were the ones that were likeliest to shoot dirty looks at Lala.

“Do you know why Lady Dagmar called for me?”

“Not a clue, but it seems everyone’s a lot more active now that she’s back on her feet, don’t you think?”

Now that Lala had pointed it out, Barry did notice everyone seemed to be very active. The trees that made up the houses were being reinforced, and the handful of elves that lived in the Court were moving around and summoning thorny plants to weave around the walls of every structure available.

“Looks… fearsome.”

“Probably preparations for an expedition?”

“Expedition?” Barry quirked a curious brow.

“Sometimes we have to send our people out to gather needed resources. Like some medicines. That leaves the Court vulnerable, so those that stay behind try to bunker down.” Lala nodded along as she kept looking about. “Though I hadn’t been told anything.”

“Me neither.”

“Oh, maybe we’ll be part of the expedition?”

Lala pulled harder, directing them towards the massive tree conglomeration that made up the palace. It had been left untouched by the preparations, but Barry figured it would only be a matter of time, right now the work was focused on the periphery.

They wandered into the colossal trees and marched through corridors that had been carved out of their insides. It always surprised Barry when he tried to take into consideration just how large the trees were. It reminded him of when he’d first appeared in this world and the trees that were larger than skyscrapers.

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Sometimes he had nightmares about it.

They reached the royal audience chamber. Within, there was a large wooden throne with a crown of branches. The seat was empty, the one waiting for them sat next to the throne, on a heavily cushioned chair. The woman looked far younger than she was, Barry knew, her coal black skin was smooth and devoid of wrinkles, the only blemish upon them the chalk-white scars that had developed from the healing process.

But her eyes felt old, ancient, and exhausted.

They were the eyes of someone who had lived through several lifetimes and was barely holding on.

“Lala, Barry.” Lady Dagmar bowed her head in greeting to them as they bowed in respect. “We will be needing your help in an expedition we will be conducting. Eastward, into the ancient groves.”

The silence that followed gave Barry a chill. “Wait.” He spoke. “Isn’t that… where I showed up?”

“It is in that direction.” The older maiden nodded absently. “From what my daughter told me, the place you appeared in was at the edge of the ancient grove.”

“Lady Dagmar, you couldn’t be…” Lala swallowed. “Is it true?”

“Yes, Lala, I believe Barry might be able to awaken the elves.”

“Right, the elves.” He nodded a little. “Embla talked about that, said that elves that go feral… gather there? Or something?”

There was a strange look in the older woman’s face, her eyes focused on him as if she could look through his skull and directly into his mind. “When a maiden goes feral, they often lose their sanity. To certain degrees, some breeds manage to retain some of it. But not elves.”

“Elves slumber.” Lala nodded. “When an elf’s bond breaks, they start feeling an urge to head to the ancient grove. The closer to ferality the stronger the urge. And once they become feral in full, they fall into a deep hibernation. None have been able to wake them.”

“The humans of this world have lost the ability to make strong bonds.” Dagmar declared. “Humans once did not need enchantments or spells to form a bond.”

“Why has that changed? Something happened?”

“We do not know. I am sure many have sought the answer and failed.” Dagmar shook her head. “What matters is that you can make bonds like the humans of old. And hopefully that is strong enough to pierce the dreamless sleep of the elves.”

Though Barry nodded along, his thoughts turned in another direction. “What happens if it’s possible? How many elves are we talking about?”

“There must be thousands of elves sleeping within the grove. The oldest of whom were the very creators of this wooden palace we stand on.” She stated, gesturing at the wooden walls around them. “If we were able to awaken them, then the forests of the kingdom would become our very allays. Nothing would be able to pose a threat to us ever again.”

Lala nodded enthusiastically. “We’d live in peace.”

“I’m not… sure.” Barry frowned as he said this. “Wouldn’t the kingdom see it as a threat?”

Dagmar waved her hand dismissively. “Of course they would. But what option is there to be had? They will kill us for what we are, or worse, enslave us. The better option is to have the strength to defend ourselves.”

“I guess I could understand that.” He nodded. “I’ll help however I can.”

The words made Lala preen, nodding and sticking a bit closer to him. “I’m not sure how I’d be able to help, but I would like to join in the expedition.”

“We will certainly need your abilities, Lala, that is why I called for you.” The old woman spoke, slowly standing up from her chair, her lithe figure was clad in a white sash. “You might have to work in the field. Prepare yourself accordingly.”

“Work?”

“The grove is not without its protections. Some of them are of the enchanted sort, those I will have you help with.”

Barry’s back straightened up slightly. “And there’s… other kinds of protection?”

Dagmar’s expression soured. “The guardians of the grove. Let us hope they allow us passage.”

“They sound dangerous.”

“The kingdom attempted to take the elves from the grove, once upon a time.” An amused smile came upon the woman’s lips. “They failed.”